Aqua Teen Hunger Force is a usually entertaining short cartoon that appears on the Cartoon Network's adult swim.

This isn't the first time that a movie marketing campaign has resulted in this kind of hysterical over-reaction. In April of last year, a device that played the "Mission: Impossible" theme was placed into Los Angeles Times newspaper vending machines. One of the devices in Santa Clarita had exposed wires, was mistaken for a bomb, and the L.A. County Sheriff's Office arson squad blew it up.

UPDATE (February 1, 2007): Here's how an Associated Press story in the Arizona Republic described these devices: "The exact nature of the objects was not disclosed. But authorities said some looked like circuit boards or had wires hanging from them."

That sounds a lot scarier than the reality, doesn't it? It conveniently omits the fact that there's a clear pattern of lights depicting a cartoon character. That article goes on to say "At least some of the devices resemble one of the villains on "Aqua Teen," part of Cartoon Network's late-night Adult Swim lineup." Is there any evidence that any of them did not?

Nine of ten cities where these devices were put in place did not have a panicked overreaction, and the one that did waited two to three weeks before jumping into a panic. Had they been actual malicious devices, their reaction would have been too late.

One word of advice for future marketeers: put a label on your devices with a phone number that can be called so you can explain what you're doing before the authorities blow up your equipment.

1 comment:

Call the Police… Or homeland Security…. Call Somebody!!!!.There is a Bar on the Corner of 5th and Lexington with a Neon Beer sign in the window. It could be a bomb. After all it is all lit up, and has wires sticking out of it, and it glows. It could be dangerous.